December 27, 2013

For anyone interested in learning more about self-harm (aka self-injury, cutting, ect…) there is a great 4 part documentary series available on YouTube called “The Silent Epidemic.” I’ve seen many attempts at covering this topic over the years… and many of them have failed to really do it justice and, in my opinion, did more harm than good. As someone who has self-harmed for over 30 years, I found this particular documentary did a wonderful job at shedding light on this subject without highlighting the shock aspect of the injuries but rather focusing on the cause and explaining it in a way that hopefully others will understand. It really delved into how the brain works and how there is literally a physical reaction in the brain that occurs when one injures to relieve emotional pain and anguish… and thus the behavior is actually highly addictive and difficult to overcome without the help of a caring therapist and often medication.

If you or anyone you care about self-injures, please consider spending 45 very worthwhile minutes on this documentary!